Safety belt system

ABSTRACT

A safety belt system using a bendable cable section having a self-sustaining shape and a flexible strap section. The cable section is fixed on one side of the seat for positioning at the side of the occupant of the seat. The flexible strap section is fixed at the other side of the seat for extending across the seat and the occupant. Fastening means connected to the free ends of the cable and belt are provided for attaching the end of the belt to the cable at the one side of the occupant.

United States Patent 1191 Gilmore 1 1451 9311. 15, 1974 SAFETY BELTSYSTEM 1,970,702 8/1934 Kuney 57 145 x 2,894,366 7 [75] Inventor: Wlllam.J.Gllmore, Mamtou Beach, 3,404,526 x32; u

I Mleh- 3,243,233 3/l966 Davis 297/385 X [73] Assignee: American Chain &Cable Company,

New York, NY. Primary Examiner.lames T. McCall 1 Att0rney-Pennie,Edmonds, Morton [22] Filed: Dec. 1, 1971 t [21] Appl. No.: 203,685 ABSTA safety belt system using a bendable cable section 52 us. c1. 297/385,297/388 having a Self-Sustaining Sha'Pe and a flexible Strap 51 1m. (:1A62b 35/60 The eehle seeheh is fixed Oh one Side the Seat 58 Field ofSearch. 297/385, 388; o Positioning at the Side of the eeeuhaht of theSeat- 57/145 146, 147 148, 149 The flexible strap section is fixed atthe other side of the seat for extending across the seat and the occu-[56] References Cited pant. Fastening means connected to the free endsof the cable and belt are provided for attaching the end UNITED STATESPATENTS of the belt to the cable at the one side of the occu- 2,855,02810/1958 Matthews 297/388 pant 3,240,082 3/1966. Bratzw. I

5/1964 Dietz 57/146 X 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU A 3,785,701

INVENTOR Wwom J. Gilmore BY 2 v/ ATTORNEYS SAFETY BELT SYSTEM BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Todays automobiles are provided with passenger seatbelts as a standard safety item. Most typically, these seat belts arecomprised of two strap sections fixed to the framework of the car. Theends of the strap sections are adapted to be brought across the,occupants waist and connected together through means of a bucklemechanism. The straps are constructed of flexible fabric material whilethe buckle mechanism includes a housing part fixed to one strap and intowhich a flat metal coupling member, fixed to the other strap, is adaptedto be inserted. The buckle mechanism automatically couples the strapsections together upon insertion of the coupling member into thehousing. The housing is also provided with some type of releasemechanism to permit uncoupling of the straps.

With presently constructed safety belts, the operator is required to useboth hands in coupling the strap sections together. For a passenger inthe car, this presents no problem. However, the same is not true withrespect to the driver. Quite frequently the driver starts driving beforeattaching the safety belt around his waist. Obviously, the driversattention to his driving is necessarily distracted while he firstlocates the ends of the two strap sections. This possibly can be donewith one hand at a time by feeling for the strap sections; and in someconstructions, the strap sections are adapted to automatically wind upwhen not in use so that their location is known. In order to couple thestrap sections together, however, it is necessary that the driver useboth hands. Therefore, he must momentarily take his hands off the wheelof the car. The dangers involved in doing this are apparent.

With presently available seat belts, the difficulties discussed aboveare generally due to the fact that the strap sections are made offlexible material and will not stay in position for coupling togetherunless held by the operator. The flexibility is,;however, required inorder that the belts may be adjusted for different sized occupants.Also, seat belts must be adjustable for different positionings of thedrivers seat. In all of todays automobiles, the drivers seat isadjustable so that it can move forward and backward to accommodateoccupants of different heights. In addition, some seats can be adjustedvertically. The farther forward the seat or the higher its positioning,the greater the length of seat belt required. Conversely, when the seatis moved back and lowered, a lesser length is required to fit snuglyabout the occupant. In addition, in automobiles which have the benchtype of seat, the strap section to the right of the driver must passbetween the bottom and back portions of the seat. Thisalso requires thatthis section of the seat belt be flexible to accommodate differentpositionings of the seat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the safety belt system of the presentinvention, the driver can connect his seat belt with one hand and bysimply placing one strap across his waist and attaching it to a couplingmember, the location of which is known but adjustable to accommodatedifferent seat positionings.

With applicants safety beltsystem, the section to the right of thedriver is a flexible cable structure having a bendable, yetself-sustaining shape; that is, the cable can be bent to accommodatedifferent positionings of the seat; and at the same time, its free endto which the coupling member is attached can be placed at the side ofthe occupant and will remain there until purposely moved to a differentlocation. Thus, in effect, the coupling member remains stationary forpurposes of coupling to the other section of the safety belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing theorientation of the sections of the safety belt system relative to theoccupants position on the seat;'

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the location of the cablesection of the safety belt system relative to a bench seat;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view, partially broken away, of the cablestructure used in applicants seat belt system; and

, FIG. 4 is a crosssectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The belt system of the presentinvention generally includes two sections. The first is a belt section 1constructed of a conventional fabric strap material 2 while the secondis a cable section 3 constructed of a bendable cable structure 4. Thebelt system is particularly useful for the drivers position in anautomobile although it may of course be used for the passenger seats.Where used for the driver, the cable 4 is located to the right of thedriver while the flexible strap 2 is located at the drivers left. Asuitable automatic rewinding mechanism 5 may be provided for winding thebelt neatly at the drivers left side when not in use. The driverslocation is represented schematically in FIG. 1 by reference numeral 6.

Both sections of the belt system are fixed to the framework of the carby suitable connectors 7 and 8. The flexible cable 4 extends only ashort distance on the right side of the drivers location. In FIG. 2, the

cable is shown as extending up to slightly above the level of the bottomportion of the seat. FIG. 2 also shows how the cable is routed betweenthe bottom and the back portions of a bench type seat.

A fastening means in the form of a buckle mechanism 9 is fixed to thefree end of the cable 4. This buckle mechanism is of conventionalconstruction and is generally comprised of a housing having an opening9' into which a coupling member If), fixed to the flexible strap 2, isadapted to be inserted. Insertion of the coupling member automaticallyeffects a connection of the belt sections. A release mechanism, notshown, is provided in the buckle housing so that the connection can bequickly released by pushing a button It or by some other suitable means.

From FIGS. 1 and 2 it will be noted that the cable section 3 of the beltsystem will not extend across the occupant of the seat. It will insteadonly extend to the occupants side. The belt section 2 is howeverconstructed with sufficient length so that it may be brought about theoccupants waist and connected to the cable section on the occupantsright side. Although the belt section 2 shown in FIG. I includes asingle strap adapted to be connected across the occupants waist, thissection could also include a shoulder harness strap having its endconnected with the strap 2 to the coupling member 10.

With the belt system of the present invention the driver need only graspthe belt section 2, bring it across his body and connect it to thebuckle 9 of the cable section. In accordance with the teachings of thisinvention, this buckle will be at a location known to the driver and hewill not have to use his other hand to find it or to hold it whilemaking the connection. The cable has sufficient rigidity to hold thebuckle in position while the coupling member is inserted and aconnection made. In addition, the cable section of the belt is flexibleenough so that it may be properly routed under the back portion of theseat for any positioning of the seat.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the presently preferred construction of the cablesection of the belt. It is comprised of a 7 X 19 galvanized steelaircraft cable 12 made up of helically wound strands. The strands are,in turn, constructed of wires of round cross-sectional shape. The cablehas a military specification: MIL C 1511. The wound diameter of thecable is nominally seven thirtyseconds of an inch. This actuallymeasures 0.228 inch.

The cable 12 is helically wrapped with an outer armored covering wire13. This covering wire has a flat cross-sectional shape with a width of0.125 inch and a thickness of 0.025 inch. In the preferred construction,this wire is made of steel having a tensile strength of about 150,000psi. The flat wire is generally softer than the wires of the cable. Asshown in FIG. 3, a slight spacing is providedbetween the convolutions.This spacing is 0.030 inch. The approximate outside diameter of thearmored cable structure is 0.282 inch.

To complete the construction of the cable section of the belt, athermoplastic sheath 14 is placed over the armored wire 13. Thisprovides a protective covering for this section and enhances itsappearance.

After the cable is wound and the armored covering wire applied andbefore the plastic sheath is applied, the entire structure is compactedby feeding through a conventional rotary swaging machine. The compactingof the structure is controlled so that the individual wires of the cableare not appreciably deformed. That is, these wires retain their circularcross-sectional shape although the strands are deformed as shown in FIG.2. The compacting is also sufficient to deform the flat wire. Moreparticularly, its inner surface is deformed to generally conform to theouter shape of the cable 12. This deformation is clearly shown in FIG.4. The compacting of the armored cable structure reduces its diameterfrom 0.282 inch to 0.255 inch.

The degree to which the cable structure is compacted is critical. Withlittle or no compacting, the cable will be flexible but will not retaina bent shape. When the bending force is removed, the cable will flexback to its original position. If, on the other hand, the compacting isexcessive, the cable structure will, in effect, act like a rod and notbe bendable as a cable. By compacting to a degree producing thedeformation shown in FIG. 4, the frictional coaction between theindividual wires of the cable and between the wires of the cable withthe armored covering wire will hold the cable structure in a bentconfiguration. Thus, the resulting structure will be flexible enough tobend to permit routing through the seat of the automobile and it willalso retain this configuration until changed by the occupant. Inaddition, the buckle 9 can be positioned at a desired loca- 4 i613 andwill remain stationary while the other section of the safety belt isconnected by inserting the coupling member 10 into the buckle 9.

I claim:

1. A safety seat belt system for holding an occupant in a seat mountedon a support comprising:

a. elongated means attached at one end to said support, said meanshaving a bendable self-sustaining construction for holding the other endat different selected positions on one side of said occupant; said meansbeing a cable structure comprised ofz l. a cable constructed of apluraility of helically wrapped wires of predetermined cross-sectionalhan aw 2. a covering wire helically wrapped about said cable withclearance between the helical convolutions thereof, and

3. said cable structure being a compacted structure with the wires ofthe cable having said predetermined cross-sectional shape and thecovering wire deformed with the inside surface thereof conforming to theouter contour of b first fastening means fixed to the other end of saidelongated means;

c a flexible belt strap fixed at one end to said support on the otherside of said occupant and having a length for extending across said seatand the occupant; and

d second fastening means attached to the other end of said strap, saidsecond fastening means being adapted to be coupled to said firstfastening means upon engagement therewith.

2. A safety seat belt system according to claim 1 wherein:

a said elongated means is attached to the support on said one side ofthe occupant and extends to slightly above the level of the bottomportion of said seat.

3. A safety seat belt system according to claim 2 wherein:

a said cable is comprised of a plurality of helically wrapped strands;and

b each strand is comprised of wires of round crosssectional shape.

4. A safety seat belt system according to claim 3 wherein:

a the covering wire of said cable structure is flat in cross-section.

5. A safety seat belt system according to claim 4 wherein:

a said cable is a 7 X 19 construction with a total uncompacted diameterof 0.228 inch;

b said flat wire has a width of 0.125 inch and thickness of 0.025 inchwith a spacing between convolutions of 0.030 inch; and

c said cable structure after compacting has an outside diameter of 0.255inch.

6. A safety seat belt system according to claim 5 wherein:

a said cable is constructed of galvanized steel wires;

and

b said covering wire is constructed of steel softer than said wires.

1. A safety seat belt system for holding an occupant in a seat mountedon a support comprising: a. elongated means attached at one end to saidsupport, said means having a bendable self-sustaining construction forholding the other end at different selected positions on one side ofsaid occupant; said means being a cable structure comprised of: 1 acable constructed of a plurality of helically wrapped wires ofpredetermined cross-sectioNal shape, 2 a covering wire helically wrappedabout said cable with clearance between the helical convolutionsthereof, and 3 said cable structure being a compacted structure with thewires of the cable having said predetermined cross-sectional shape andthe covering wire deformed with the inside surface thereof conforming tothe outer contour of said cable; b first fastening means fixed to theother end of said elongated means; c a flexible belt strap fixed at oneend to said support on the other side of said occupant and having alength for extending across said seat and the occupant; and d secondfastening means attached to the other end of said strap, said secondfastening means being adapted to be coupled to said first fasteningmeans upon engagement therewith.
 2. A safety seat belt system accordingto claim 1 wherein: a said elongated means is attached to the support onsaid one side of the occupant and extends to slightly above the level ofthe bottom portion of said seat.
 3. A safety seat belt system accordingto claim 2 wherein: a said cable is comprised of a plurality ofhelically wrapped strands; and b each strand is comprised of wires ofround cross-sectional shape.
 4. A safety seat belt system according toclaim 3 wherein: a the covering wire of said cable structure is flat incross-section.
 5. A safety seat belt system according to claim 4wherein: a said cable is a 7 X 19 construction with a total uncompacteddiameter of 0.228 inch; b said flat wire has a width of 0.125 inch andthickness of 0.025 inch with a spacing between convolutions of 0.030inch; and c said cable structure after compacting has an outsidediameter of 0.255 inch.
 6. A safety seat belt system according to claim5 wherein: a said cable is constructed of galvanized steel wires; and bsaid covering wire is constructed of steel softer than said wires.